Driving around Pacific Junction Friday, watching the sandbaggers and railroad contractors preparing for the predicted flood waters, I was reminded of the eerie feeling I had back in the summer of 1979 while completing some National Guard training at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss.

I didn’t have a television in my dorm room on the base, probably not even a radio, and certainly not a computer or cell phone. I was two weeks away from completing a hot summer of training and anxious to return home to Nebraska.

I’ve stated previously in this column that one of the greatest privileges I’ve had during my time as editor of The Opinion-Tribune was accompanying World War II veterans from southwest Iowa to Washington, D.C., in September 2008, on the inaugural Western Iowa Honor Flight.

Last week, I had the opportunity to get a personal tour of the famous Todd House down in Tabor. I had heard a lot about the place over the years - knew it had a lot of history behind it and a connection to the Underground Railroad - but had never actually seen the place in person.

President’s Day is Monday. We observe this day in February because it happens to be the birth month of George Washington, our first president, and Abraham Lincoln, the man many historians regard as our greatest president ever.